Posts Tagged ‘fabric’
Spruce Upholstery Tip: Organizing Your Workspace
A clean and organized workspace makes an efficient one. I have to take breaks throughout the day to tidy my area and gather all of my hand tools that mysteriously walk off. As you might imagine, there are many tools and materials I use throughout the day, so it would be unfair for me to…
Read MoreSpruce Upholstery Tip: Staple Lengths
Upholstery staples come in several different lengths. The most commonly used lengths are 1/4″, 3/8″ and 1/2″. I like to keep a box of each at my station at all times so I can quickly swap out sizes when working on different parts of a project. Let me elaborate on how I use each of these staples…
Read MoreSpruce Upholstery Tip: How to Protect Fabric When Using Ply Grip
Ply Grip (a.k.a. Pli-Grip, Flex Trim, and Curve Ease) is a nifty invention that helps create professional looking, clean, smooth edges for all your projects. It can be a little tricky when working with thinner fabric, as the metal of the Ply Grip will sometimes cut through delicate fabrics. Naturally, I have a quick solution for…
Read MoreSpruce Upholstery Tip: Create Your Own Welt Cord Stick
Sometimes we work on projects that require miles of welt cord. Making a welt cord stick can help you quickly draw your welt cord on fabric. Let me show you how! We use Masonite to make our welt cord sticks because it is durable, light, and doesn’t splinter. You can easily find Masonite at your…
Read MoreSpruce Upholstery Tip: Hanging Velvet
Tip time! At Spruce, we often cut out many or all of the fabric pieces for a project before we start upholstering, which helps us be efficient with our time. When working with fabrics that crease or scar when folded, such as velvet and leather, it’s handy to set up a spot where you can…
Read MoreSpruce Upholstery Tip: How to Position Pleats
This week, I had a couple of projects which required some pleating here and there, so I thought this would be the perfect time to share some suggestions about making pleats. The number one goal when making a pleat is not to create a “crumb catcher.” There are two simple ways to prevent this upholstery…
Read MoreDesigner Spotlight Series: Katie Kime
At Spruce, we’re fortunate to work with a number of talented interior designers who create beautiful spaces. We want to celebrate our favorite Austin designers by re-launching our Designer Spotlight column, a series that highlights some of their work and creations.Today we turn the spotlight on Katie Kime, a prolific and well-traveled lady who came to Austin via…
Read MoreSpruce Happenings: Austin Fabric Shop Hop
We were SEW thrilled to meet so many fabric enthusiasts during the second Austin Fabric Shop Hop last month. Several people – including long-time residents of Austin – stopped by Spruce for the first time during the three-day shopping extravaganza, and we introduced them to our services, classes and retail. This was the first time…
Read MoreIntroducing Benton, our newest Sprucester!
We are delighted to announce that we have a new Sprucester. Meet Benton Burford! Benton learned about Spruce while working at Kyle Bunting. Intrigued by upholstery, Benton took one of our Bring Your Own Chair classes and we’ve been on his radar ever since. He’s been living in Austin since 2003, after moving from Midland,…
Read MoreTiny Chair Transformation
When I became an upholsterer, my family thought that they had hit the jackpot. But they soon realized their vision of having their own personal upholsterer was just a pipe dream. After three years at Spruce, I have finally completed an upholstery project for a loved one. I found this adorable vintage rocker at Vintage Tobacco…
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